Rating: 
Summary: A Powerful Sequel.....
Review: FDNY Marshal, Georgia Skeehan, knew something was amiss when she investigated the apartment fire of Dr Louise Rosen. The brass wanted this one closed with an easy drunk and smoking in bed determination. But the autopsy showed Dr Rosen hadn't even had a sip of alcohol, and there was no sign in the apartment that she was a smoker; no cigarettes, matches, or ashtrays. Georgia is convinced it's arson, and when the doctor's former partner is also killed in a suspicious fire, she begins digging into their pasts and finds these two had an infamous reputation of denying pensions to firefighters disabled in the line of duty. At the same time, Georgia's best friend, NYPD Detective, Connie Ruiz, goes missing. Her apartment is soaked in blood and riddled with bullets, and to top it off, Georgia's boyfriend, fire marshal, Mac Marenko is charged with her supposed murder. Add to that a pipeline bomb threat and poor Georgia's got more than her hands full as she investigates these seemingly unrelated crimes. As the pieces begin to come together, she finds that a clue from the distant past may be the answer to the murder and mayhem surrounding the FDNY today..... This is Suzanne Chazin's second Georgia Skeehan thriller, and like the first, The Fourth Angel, this novel starts off with a bang. The prologue and first chapter of Flash Over are so harrowing and compelling that it's impossible to stop reading. The fast paced plot is intriguing, and Ms Chazin's extensive knowledge and expertise in the inner workings of the fire department, arson, and fire investigations adds real credibility to the story. Her characters are original and interesting, and the writing, for the most part entertaining and intelligent. Unfortunately, this time around, Ms Chazin trades in tight, tense, and suspenseful for melodrama and hand wringing, and this detracts from the story line and bogs down the plot. That said, she pulls it all together for a stunning climax and satisfying, solid ending that doesn't disappoint.
Rating:
Summary: A Powerful Sequel.....
Review: FDNY Marshal, Georgia Skeehan, knew something was amiss when she investigated the apartment fire of Dr Louise Rosen. The brass wanted this one closed with an easy drunk and smoking in bed determination. But the autopsy showed Dr Rosen hadn't even had a sip of alcohol, and there was no sign in the apartment that she was a smoker; no cigarettes, matches, or ashtrays. Georgia is convinced it's arson, and when the doctor's former partner is also killed in a suspicious fire, she begins digging into their pasts and finds these two had an infamous reputation of denying pensions to firefighters disabled in the line of duty. At the same time, Georgia's best friend, NYPD Detective, Connie Ruiz, goes missing. Her apartment is soaked in blood and riddled with bullets, and to top it off, Georgia's boyfriend, fire marshal, Mac Marenko is charged with her supposed murder. Add to that a pipeline bomb threat and poor Georgia's got more than her hands full as she investigates these seemingly unrelated crimes. As the pieces begin to come together, she finds that a clue from the distant past may be the answer to the murder and mayhem surrounding the FDNY today..... This is Suzanne Chazin's second Georgia Skeehan thriller, and like the first, The Fourth Angel, this novel starts off with a bang. The prologue and first chapter of Flash Over are so harrowing and compelling that it's impossible to stop reading. The fast paced plot is intriguing, and Ms Chazin's extensive knowledge and expertise in the inner workings of the fire department, arson, and fire investigations adds real credibility to the story. Her characters are original and interesting, and the writing, for the most part entertaining and intelligent. Unfortunately, this time around, Ms Chazin trades in tight, tense, and suspenseful for melodrama and hand wringing, and this detracts from the story line and bogs down the plot. That said, she pulls it all together for a stunning climax and satisfying, solid ending that doesn't disappoint.
Rating: 
Summary: a great read
Review: Flashover was just the kind of book I've been looking for and find too rarely these days. It not only has vivid characters with realistic emotional struggles, it is also full of the kind of careful storytelling and forensic details that make for a great thriller.
Georgia Skeehan, a rookie fire marshal with the FDNY and a single mother, is called upon to investigate a Park Avenue apartment blaze in which a doctor is hovering near death. At first, the blaze looks like it was caused by smoking in bed. But quickly, the story takes a more sinister turn when it is revealed that the doctor once worked for the FDNY's pension board and was responsible for turning down firefighters' for line-of-duty pensions.
Ms. Chazin writes in a compelling and visual way. Her fires are the scariest scenes I've ever read in a thriller. And the relationship between Georgia and her boyfriend, Marshal Mac Marenko, constitutes one of the best on-going romantic relationships I've seen in a mystery series.
Even though firefighters and fire books seem to be everywhere these days, I really knew very little about what it's like to be a New York City firefighter-much less a female firefighter. Ms. Chazin has given me a very timely glimpse into this world, and she's done it in an exciting and compelling way.
Rating:
Summary: Plot and setting vs. Character and style
Review: Flashover will be welcomed by mystery readers looking for an alternative to the police procedural and a new style of non-traditional heroine. Suzanne Chazin, who is married to a New York City firefighter, allows us to get behind the scenes of a world few of us will ever see.
The strength of Flashover comes from a strong, plausible plot, where both crime and solution are grounded in the author's thorough grasp of pyrotechnics. Fire Marshal Georgia Skeehan investigates two mysterious fires that show signs of "flashover," combustion of a room and its contents by simultaneous ignition.
Skeehan believes both deaths are connected to denial of disability coverage to fighters who fought a warehouse blaze nearly thirty years ago. She meets resistance and veiled threats when she digs through past reports. Adding to her frustration, her best friend disappears and her boyfriend arrested on suspicion.
The last chapters are worth the price of admission. Chazin takes us through an adventure scene that keeps the pages turning, building a unique venue for the final conflict. The heroine seems completely cornered but uses her own skills to rescue herself. The solution plays fair: we are surprised but not deceived when we learn the identity of the villain
For many readers, the strong plot and setting will outweigh the awkward writing and incomplete characters. Most annoying are the abundant clichés ("...a ghost of its former self..." "stopped ... in her tracks...") and far-fetched, distracting analogies.
How does it feel to have blood "crystallizing" in your veins? Or your heart as tight as a twisted dishrag? Or your stomach like a box with marbles rattling around? Or see a sky the color of a faded t-shirt? What does it mean for someone to have "a firefighter's sincerity?"
The author needs to step back and let her characters reveal themselves and their thoughts. Is it Georgia who sees Federalist columns and Beaux Arts touches on Grand Central or is the author intruding? Was Georgia an art history major in college?
Ironically, the brief chapters about "Hood" and "Bear" are written with greater sensitivity. Some supporting characters -- the boyfriend and best friend -- have more recognizable, identifying features and dialogue than the main character.
Still, the plot and setting are strong enough to outweigh the book's flaws. I'd pack Flashover for flight or beach reading. With meatier character development and a tighter writing style, the series should evolve from "very good" to "truly great."
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic thriller
Review: Georgia Skeatan was a firefighter before she became a fire marshal. Her supervisor and lover Mac Marenko is having a little commitment problem as well as a major legal fight, but otherwise Georgia's life is perfect. At least it is until her latest arson case involves two doctors who served on the One - B - Board, a committee of physicians who judge whether a firefighter is eligible for a three-quarters disability pension. The arson team doesn't even have a chance to investigate the fires before it's handed over to a unit of the police force. It seems the two deceased doctors were involved in a dispute with firefighters who were injured in a warehouse fire that involved hazardous chemicals. Nobody involved got a three-quarters pension in that affair. Now somebody who vividly remembers that fire which happened twenty-five years ago is threatening to blow up a big chunk of the city unless he gets $1 million dollars. He wants Georgia to deliver the money while she is worrying that Mac might be tried for the murder of his ex- girlfriend and Georgia's best friend. FLASHOVER is a fantastic thriller that showcases the spread of corruption and the pain it causes even over a twenty-five year period. Remnant of Turk 186, it's evident the author knows the inner workings of the fire department because the minute details come across as believable and realistic. The heroine is a great role mode as a person who crashes the gender ceiling while adhering to her personal values. Harriet Klausner
Rating:
Summary: Hurry Up with Book Three!
Review: How I missed Flash Over when it came out is beyond me. I was fascinated by Suzanne Chazin's first novel, The Fourth Angel, and knew she was working on the next installment. Yet, I didn't see this book until last week. Flash Over is just as good as The Fourth Angel, yet it takes a different approach in the lives of Fire Marshall Georgia Skeehan and Mac Marenko. Georgia and her partner Carter are called in to investigate the fire that killed retired doctor Louise Rosen. While everyone wants to believe she was drunk and smoking in bed, the clues to the fire don't add up to support this theory. As Georgia and Carter try to piece together what happened, they begin to hit a brick wall with the upper brass telling them to back off. Then, Dr. Rosen's former partner dies in a fire. Things begin to come to light as Georgia finds out both doctors where part of the committee who decides if firemen are entitled to full medical retirement when they become ill and can no longer work. It seems the two doctors had a history of denying benefits to men who had gave their hearts to their jobs. Then Georgia finds out someone is planning on blowing up a pipeline that runs under New York. This is scary when you realize how devastating it could actually be if it were to happen. The person threatening calls himself Robin Hood. He feels Georgia inadvertently helped him take out one victim. He now wants to deal with her and the upper brass, police, and local politicians don't want her around for fear of what she may uncover about the past. Georgia pieces together enough to know Robin Hood must be connected to the fire department some way. Things quickly escalate into an action pack finale. Flash Over written in a different tone from The Fourth Angel. While there is still well plotted action and graphic descriptions of fires the destruction they leave behind, Ms. Chazin has given up more background information on the recurring characters. We see how the relationship between Georgia and Mac is going nowhere, how he is unable to commit or even let his fellow workers and family know they are involved. We also have more of a glimpse of how Georgia has to combat the sexist attitudes directed toward women in a male dominated field. Flash Over is well written, with tons of action, personal relationships, and a dynamite ending. I will be making notation to myself to start looking for the third installment around May of 2003
Rating:
Summary: Hurry Up with Book Three!
Review: How I missed Flash Over when it came out is beyond me. I was fascinated by Suzanne Chazin's first novel, The Fourth Angel, and knew she was working on the next installment. Yet, I didn't see this book until last week. Flash Over is just as good as The Fourth Angel, yet it takes a different approach in the lives of Fire Marshall Georgia Skeehan and Mac Marenko. Georgia and her partner Carter are called in to investigate the fire that killed retired doctor Louise Rosen. While everyone wants to believe she was drunk and smoking in bed, the clues to the fire don't add up to support this theory. As Georgia and Carter try to piece together what happened, they begin to hit a brick wall with the upper brass telling them to back off. Then, Dr. Rosen's former partner dies in a fire. Things begin to come to light as Georgia finds out both doctors where part of the committee who decides if firemen are entitled to full medical retirement when they become ill and can no longer work. It seems the two doctors had a history of denying benefits to men who had gave their hearts to their jobs. Then Georgia finds out someone is planning on blowing up a pipeline that runs under New York. This is scary when you realize how devastating it could actually be if it were to happen. The person threatening calls himself Robin Hood. He feels Georgia inadvertently helped him take out one victim. He now wants to deal with her and the upper brass, police, and local politicians don't want her around for fear of what she may uncover about the past. Georgia pieces together enough to know Robin Hood must be connected to the fire department some way. Things quickly escalate into an action pack finale. Flash Over written in a different tone from The Fourth Angel. While there is still well plotted action and graphic descriptions of fires the destruction they leave behind, Ms. Chazin has given up more background information on the recurring characters. We see how the relationship between Georgia and Mac is going nowhere, how he is unable to commit or even let his fellow workers and family know they are involved. We also have more of a glimpse of how Georgia has to combat the sexist attitudes directed toward women in a male dominated field. Flash Over is well written, with tons of action, personal relationships, and a dynamite ending. I will be making notation to myself to start looking for the third installment around May of 2003
Rating:
Summary: Long awaited sequal
Review: I loved "The Fourth Angel" and couldn't wait to read Suzanne Chazin's follow up to her great debut novel. "Flashover" did not disappoint. The many twists and turns of the well conceived plot kept me fully engrossed page after page. In addition to providing her fans with fun and enticing mysteries, Chazin fills her novels with in-depth technical and cultural insights into the world of urban firefighters that is both timely and engrossing. I only hope that more installments in the life of Georgia Skeehan are on the way...
Rating:
Summary: Long awaited sequal
Review: I loved "The Fourth Angel" and couldn't wait to read Suzanne Chazin's follow up to her great debut novel. "Flashover" did not disappoint. The many twists and turns of the well conceived plot kept me fully engrossed page after page. In addition to providing her fans with fun and enticing mysteries, Chazin fills her novels with in-depth technical and cultural insights into the world of urban firefighters that is both timely and engrossing. I only hope that more installments in the life of Georgia Skeehan are on the way...
Rating:
Summary: It keeps getting better and better!!!!
Review: I read the 4th Angel strictly because Jeffery Deaver wrote the notes on the cover. After reading that I became a fan of Ms Chazin. In Flashover, The story continues and much like in a Deaver story, Ms. Chazin is a nut for detail... I found this book a pure pleasure to read with all the twist and turns that you would come to expect with a great mystery writer. Flashover stands on it's own and my guess is if you read this one first you will go back and read The 4th Angel.
|
